Minimal Nutrient Research Articles

Attachment of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) to Pre-Chill and Post-Chill Beef Brisket Tissue.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) has caused numerous foodborne illness outbreaks where beef was implicated as the contaminated food source. Understanding how STEC attach to beef surfaces may inform effective intervention applications at the abattoir. This simulated meat processing conditions to measure STEC attachment to adipose and lean beef tissue. Beef brisket samples were warmed to a surface temperature of 30 °C (warm carcass), while the remaining samples were maintained at 4 °C (cold carcass), prior to surface inoculation with an STEC cocktail (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157:H7). Cocktails were grown in either tryptic soy broth (TSB) or M9 minimal nutrient medium. Loosely and firmly attached cells were measured at 0, 3, 5, and 20 min and 1, 3, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h. TSB-grown STEC cells became more firmly attached throughout storage and a difference in loosely versus firmly attached populations on lean and adipose tissues was observed. M9-grown STEC demonstrated a 0.2 log10 CFU/cm2 difference in attachment to lean versus adipose tissue and variability in populations was recorded throughout sampling. Future research should investigate whether a decrease in intervention efficacy correlates to an increase in firmly attached STEC cells on chilled carcasses and/or subprimals, which has been reported.

Potency of Indigenous Bacteria of Mt. Merapi, Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus for Chromium (VI) Bioremediation

Chromium (VI) in the production process, such as textile, tannery, and electroplating industry, produce hazardous waste when disposed of directly into the aquatic environment. Several chromium pollutions cases, not only in water but also in the aquatic organism, occurred in some regions in Indonesia. Various methods can reduce the Chromium (VI) waste. One of them is the biological method by employing such kinds of bacteria. Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus is a pioneer bacterium of Mt. Merapi, which can survive in the minimum conditions of the bacterial primary nutrients, carbon, and nitrogen. This study aims to investigate the ability of A. chlorophenolicus to remove Cr (VI) at various concentrations. The research was carried out by growing the A. chlorophenolicus into two nutrient media conditions, minimal and rich-nutrient media containing different concentrations of Cr (VI) (5, 10, 20 ppm) for eight days. The results showed that the A. chlorophenolicus were grown on both minimal and rich-nutrient media. The A. chlorophenolicus could reduce for about 80% of 10 and 20 ppm chromium in eight days. Our results indicate that A. chlorophenolicus, the pioneer bacteria of Mt. Merapi, has a grand promise for use in Cr (VI) remediation even under minimum nutrients conditions.

Recent advances on food waste pretreatment technology via microalgae for source of polyhydroxyalkanoates

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable and biocompatible polyester which are biosynthesized from the intracellular cells of microalgae through the cultivation of organic food waste medium. Before cultivation process, food waste must undergo several pre-treatment techniques such as chemical, biological, physical or mechanical in order to solubilize complex food waste matter into simpler micro- and macronutrients in which allow bio-valorisation of microalgae and food waste compound during the cultivation process. This work reviews four microalgae genera namely Chlamydomonas, Chlorella, Spirulina, and Botryococcus, are selected as suitable species due to rapid growth rate, minimal nutrient requirement, greater adaptability and flexibility prior to lower the overall production cost and maximized the production of PHAs. This study also focuses on the different mode of cultivation for the accumulation of PHAs followed by cell wall destabilization, extraction, and purification. Nonetheless, this review provides future insights into enhancing the productivity of bioplastic derived from microalgae towards low-cost, large-scale, and higher productivity of PHAs.

A method for highlighting differences between bacteria grown on nutrient agar using near infrared spectroscopy and principal component analysis

Fast diagnostic tools such as near infrared spectroscopy have recently gained interest for bacterial identification. To avoid a process involving microbial pellet or suspension preparation from Petri dishes for NIR analysis, direct screening from agar in Petri dishes was explored. This two-step study proposes a new procedure for bacterial screening directly on agar plates with minimal nutrient medium bias. Firstly, principal component analyses showed optimal discrimination between the genera Lactobacillus, Pseudomonas and Brochothrix on different culture media, in transmission mode and with the bottom of Petri dishes facing the light source. The repeatability of spectra in these conditions was assessed with an average coefficient of variation inferior to 5% in the 12,500–3680 cm−1 range. Secondly, 40 strains of Lactococcus and Enterococcus species were grown on Bennett agar and measured over a series of five assays. Principal component analyses highlighted better clustering according to genera and species and lower external bias while retaining the 8790–3680 cm−1 spectral range and applying an extended multiplicative scatter correction with an average agar spectrum as a reference, in comparison to raw data and standard multiplicative scatter correction.

Caffeine-degrading endosymbiont fungi isolated from Hipothenemus hampei. Ferr as pre-analysis caffeine tolerance ability of coffee berry borer

The Coffee Berry Borer (CBB), Hypthenemus hampei Ferr., is the most destructive pest of coffee berry due to its ability to bore and complete their entire life cycle inside of the coffee berry. The detoxification mechanism of CBB ability to lives inside of coffee berry containing high natural insecticide compound such as caffeine is a very interesting study and it may lead to be an advantaged for CBB controlling methods. Isolation and screening of endosymbiont fungi from CBB using 0.5% caffeine plate agar as a minimum nutrient as well as a selective medium were obtained 10 isolates consist of 6 isolates of yeasts and 4 filamentous fungi which positively degraded caffeine content through their formed diameter of the colony. The presenting of these several caffeine-degrading endosymbiont fungi could be as pre-explanation about the caffeine tolerance mechanism of CBB.

Probiotic Potential of the Farmed Olive Flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, Autochthonous Gut Microbiota.

In recent years, considerable and growing attention has been given to the application of host-associated microorganisms as a more suitable source of probiotics in aquaculture sector. Herein, we isolated and screened the olive flounder gut microbiota for beneficial bacterial strains that might serve as potential probiotics in a low fishmeal extruded aquafeed. Among the ten identified isolates, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens SK4079 and B. subtilis SK4082 were screened out based on their heat-resistant ability as well as enzymatic and non-hemolytic activities. Although both strains were well able to utilize carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), xylan, and soybean meal (SBM) as a single carbon source in the minimal nutrient M9 medium, B. subtilis exhibited significantly higher cellulase, xylanase, and protease activities than B. amyloliquefaciens. The two selected strains were well able to degrade the undesirable anti-nutritional component of the SBM, which would limit its utilization as protein source in aquafeed industry. Significantly higher biofilm formation capacity and notably stronger adhesive interactions with the flounder's skin mucus were detected in B. subtilis than B. amyloliquefaciens. Immobilization of the spores from the selected strains, in a SBM complex carrier, remarkably enhances their thermal resistance at 120°C for 5min and different drying conditions. It was also interesting to learn that the B. subtilis spores could survive and remain viable after being sprayed onto extruded low-fish meal feed pellets for as long as 6months. Overall, the findings of the present study could help the food/feed industries achieve their goal of developing cost-effective yet efficient products.

CaNRT2.1 Is Required for Nitrate but Not Nitrite Uptake in Chili Pepper Pathogen Colletotrichum acutatum

Chili peppers are an important food additive used in spicy cuisines worldwide. However, the yield and quality of chilis are threatened by anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum acutatum. Despite the impact of C. acutatum on chili production, the genes involved in fungal development and pathogenicity in this species have not been well characterized. In this study, through T-DNA insertional mutagenesis, we identified a mutant strain termed B7, which is defective for the growth of C. acutatum on a minimal nutrient medium. Our bioinformatics analysis revealed that a large fragment DNA (19.8 kb) is deleted from the B7 genome, thus resulting in the deletion of three genes, including CaGpiP1 encoding a glycosylphosphatidyl-inisotol (GPI)-anchored protein, CaNRT2.1 encoding a membrane-bound nitrate/nitrite transporter, and CaRQH1 encoding a RecQ helicase protein. In addition, T-DNA is inserted upstream of the CaHP1 gene encoding a hypothetical protein. Functional characterization of CaGpiP1, CaNRT2.1, and CaHP1 by targeted gene disruption and bioassays indicated that CaNRT2.1 is responsible for the growth-defective phenotype of B7. Both B7 and CaNRT2.1 mutant strains cannot utilize nitrate as nitrogen sources, thus restraining the fungal growth on a minimal nutrient medium. In addition to CaNRT2.1, our results showed that CaGpiP1 is a cell wall-associated GPI-anchored protein. However, after investigating the functions of CaGpiP1 and CaHP1 in fungal pathogenicity, growth, development and stress tolerance, we were unable to uncover the roles of these two genes in C. acutatum. Collectively, in this study, our results identify the growth-defective strain B7 via T-DNA insertion and reveal the critical role of CaNRT2.1 in nitrate transportation for the fungal growth of C. acutatum.

Mechanism for the marked increase of Ulva prolifera in the south Yellow Sea: role of light intensity, nitrogen, phosphorus, and co-limitations

An understanding of regulating factors and early warning of Ulva prolifera biomass increase may reduce harm or prevent bloom disasters in the Yellow Sea. We investigated the minimum nutrient concentration and light-limiting depth (Zlim) for the growth of floating U. prolifera thalli. Bioavailable dissolved nitrogen (BDN) concentrations in most parts of the study area were almost always higher than the minimum N concentrations required for the growth of floating thalli, indicating no N limitation for the growth of floating thalli. However, the minimum N concentration required for the development of germlings into thalli was higher than BDN in the majority of the area north of 35°N. This indicated that germlings floating out of Subei Shoal were unable to grow into thalli because of N limitation. The minimum P concentration required for germling development was higher than the total dissolved P north of 35°N. This suggested that P limitation occurred for germlings floating out of Subei Shoal. The Zlim for the floating thalli was <0.1 m in most parts of Subei Shoal, which explained why the rapid growth of floating thalli only occurred when they floated out from the Subei Shoal. A grid pattern with the phased multiple increase in biomass per day was designed to predict the possible accumulated multiple increase in biomass (AcMp) when U. prolifera drifted northward following different trajectories. The predicted AcMp values in 2017, 2010, and 2009 were close to the ratio of the coverage area from remote sensing data. Such a grid pattern facilitates quick decisions in disaster prevention and reduction.

Effect of various drying methods on the physicochemical characteristics of pumpkin powder

Pumpkin, one of the most famous cultivars from Cucurbita moschata, is a rich source of carotenoid. However, having high water content (above 80%) makes pumpkin extremely perishable, and difficult to be processed and stored. Therefore, pumpkin needs a dehydration process in which could remove moisture content from the product but still able to uphold its natural color and minimum nutrient losses. We have carried out a comprehensive study to investigate the effect of different methods; sunlight drying (SD), cabinet drying (CD), and pneumatic drying (PD) on the physicochemical properties of pumpkin powder. The pneumatic dryer used was self-fabricated with a stainless steel plate (3 mm thickness) that has a total dimension of 1600x 500x 2500 mm. The physicochemical properties evaluated include final moisture content, the color difference (ΔE), carbohydrate, fat, protein, and β-carotene. CD produced powder with the lowest final moisture content. The mean value of ΔE of PD was the lowest as compared to SD and CD. The SD sample has the lowest mean FM value. Pneumatic drying exhibit good potential to produce pumpkin powder while retaining its color and nutritive values.

Differences in phosphorus acquisition and critical phosphorus requirements among nine

The extensive grazing systems of northern Australia are dominated by C4 grasses and are established in N- and P-responsive soils that receive minimal nutrient input. Under these conditions, tropical pasture legumes are expected to improve the quality of grazing forage and fix atmospheric N2. However, legume persistence is relatively poor, which may be due to a presumed disparity in P requirements among tropical pasture species. This disparity suggests that P-efficient legumes may improve legume persistence, yet the P requirements of many tropical pasture legumes remain unquantified. Nine Desmanthus spp. genotypes were grown in pots to determine differences in shoot yield and root morphology in response to soil P supply (0–100 mg applied P kg–1 soil; 5–63 mg Colwell P kg–1 soil). The shoot yield of each genotype increased in response to increased P supply. When P supply was adequate for maximum plant growth, the shoot yield of the best genotype (3.5 g DM pot–1; JCU 9) was 1.7-fold larger than that of the next most productive genotype. There were also substantial differences in the critical external P requirements of the genotypes (29.4–64.0 mg P kg–1 soil), although these differences did not always reflect the efficiency of dry matter production per unit of applied P fertiliser. Differences in shoot yield and P acquisition were positively associated with differences in the development of root length. The results indicated that P-efficient genotypes of Desmanthus spp. can be identified for improved growth in the P-responsive pastures of northern Australia. These genotypes may compete more effectively with C4 grasses and form resilient pasture swards as climate patterns change.

Influence of anaerobic rumen fungal inoculation on the fermentation and nutritive content of selected forage silages

This study investigated the ability of isolated anaerobic fungi to facilitate silage fermentation characteristic and nutritive content. To achieve this, two fungal isolates out of fourteen obtained in our laboratory from sheep rumen content were selected as silage inoculants. Selection of the isolates was based on their ability to present the highest growth characteristics and they belong to the genus Orpinomyces, and Neocallimastix (as identified with microscope). The two fungi alongside the control (i.e. no fungi) were used to inoculate different silages prepared from four selected forages i.e. two tropical grasses (i.e. Andropogon gayanus- AG, Brachiaria decumbens- BD) and two temperate forages (i.e. Triticum aestivum- TA straw and Lolium perenne- LP) in order to examine their effect on fermentation (i.e. pH) and nutritive content of these silages over 14 and 28 days of inoculation, respectively. The anaerobic fungal inoculated silages showed significant (P < 0.05) improvement in quality than un-inoculated silages which was reflected in terms of increase in soluble fraction i.e. CP content; reduction in fibre content; increase in metabolites, increase in total antioxidant content (TAC); and reduction in pH with minimal nutrient loss. However, the rate of the anaerobic fungal improvement was influenced by the forages used for the silage and the length of inoculation. The highest and lowest increase in quality was recorded in LP and TA silages, respectively, while more extended inoculation time supported more quality improvement in the silages. The use of anaerobic fungi as inoculants improved AG, BD, TA and LP silages quality through facilitation of the fermentation characteristics (i.e. pH and nutritive content).

Minimal nutrient requirements for induction of germination of Aspergillus niger conidia

Aspergillus niger reproduces asexually by forming conidia. Here, the minimal nutrient requirements were studied that activate germination of A. niger conidia. To this end, germination was monitored in time using an oCelloScope imager. Data was used as input in an asymmetric model to describe the process of swelling and germ tube formation. The maximum number of spores (Pmax) that were activated to swell and to form germ tubes was 32.54% and 20.51%, respectively, in minimal medium with 50 mM glucose. In contrast, Pmax of swelling and germ tube formation was <1% in water or 50 mM glucose. Combining 50 mM glucose with either NaNO3, KH2PO4, or MgSO4 increased Pmax of swelling and germination up to 15.25% and 5.4%, respectively, while combining glucose with two of these inorganic components further increased these Pmax values up to 25.85% and 10.99%. Next, 10 mM amino acid was combined with a phosphate buffer and MgSO4. High (e.g. proline), intermediate and low (e.g. cysteine) inducing amino acids were distinguished. Together, a combination of an inducing carbon source with either inorganic phosphate, inorganic nitrogen or magnesium sulphate is the minimum requirement for A. niger conidia to germinate.

BIOREMEDIATION OF CRUDE OIL CONTAMINATED SOIL BY HYDROCARBON DEGRADING BACTERIA

Proficiency of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria useful for eradicating soil pollution stimulated by seepage of petroleum and their derivative substances, therefore, sequestered different bacterial isolates were bear significant merits for utilizing hydrocarbons as an uncommon source of their growth and development. A colorimetric assay was performed at 595 nm wavelength which was subjected to the mineral salt broth with 1% oil (petrol, diesel, and burned out engine oil). This broth having minimum nutrients used by inoculated bacteria in which some isolates were adopted for taking a sufficient amount of either petrol, diesel, or burned-out engine oil as carbon source hence increases its turbidity that was measured in two days time interval up to twelve days of observation. We found that selected isolates were able to degrade burned out engine oil efficiently in contrast to petrol and diesel. At optical density 0.21± 0.13, 0.19±0.08, 0.18±0.09, 0.17±0.12 the result showed by isolatesBI-7, BI-2, BI-4, BI-6goodcompetency to degrade burned out engine oil. On the other hand, maximum diesel and petrol utilized by BI-2 &amp; BI-1 isolate at O.D. 0.09±0.02, 0.05±0.02 was recorded. Most of the bacterial isolates resulted in a positive biochemical test. BI-1 &amp; BI-7 resulted in positive starch hydrolysis test, whereas, all isolates resulted in positive urease test, simultaneously negative results for all isolates obtained when catalase and antibiotic sensitivity test against streptomycin were performed.

Exploring the prospective of weeds (Cannabis sativa L., Parthenium hysterophorus L.) for biofuel production through nanocatalytic (Co, Ni) gasification

BackgroundWhile keeping in view various aspects of energy demand, quest for the renewable energy sources is utmost. Biomass has shown great potential as green energy source with supply of approximately 14% of world total energy demand, and great source of carbon capture. It is abundant in various forms including agricultural, forestry residues, and unwanted plants (weeds). The rapid growth of weeds not only affects the yield of the crop, but also has strong consequences on the environment. These weeds can grow with minimum nutrient input requirements, have strong ability to grow at various soil and climate environments with high value of cellulose, thus can be valuable source of energy production.ResultsParthenium hysterophorus L. and Cannabis sativa L. have been employed for the production of biofuels (biogas, biodiesel and biochar) through nano-catalytic gasification by employing Co and Ni as nanocatalysts. Nanocatalysts were synthesized through well-established sol–gel method. SEM study confirms the spherical morphology of the nanocatalysts with size distribution of 20–50 nm. XRD measurements reveal that fabricated nanocatalysts have pure standard crystal structure without impurity. During gasification of Cannabis sativa L., we have extracted the 53.33% of oil, 34.66% of biochar and 12% gas whereas in the case of Parthenium hysterophorus L. 44% oil, 38.36% biochar and 17.66% of gas was measured. Electrical conductivity in biochar of Cannabis sativa L. and Parthenium hysterophorus L. was observed 0.4 dSm−1 and 0.39 dSm−1, respectively.ConclusionPresent study presents the conversion of unwanted plants Parthenium hysterophorus L. and Cannabis sativa L. weeds to biofuels. Nanocatalysts help to enhance the conversion of biomass to biofuel due to large surface reactivity. Our findings suggest potential utilization of unwanted plants for biofuel production, which can help to share the burden of energy demand. Biochar produced during gasification can replace chemical fertilizers for soil remediation and to enhance the crop productivity.

Nonlinear relationships between phytoplankton nutrient utilization traits and environmental factors

Relationships between the functional traits of phytoplankton and environmental factors remain insufficiently explored. However, these dependencies could be very useful for trait-based ecological modelling of phytoplankton communities. The purpose of this study is to estimate possible connections between nutrient utilization traits of marine phytoplankton, cell volume, temperature of the experiment, irradiance and taxonomic category of the species collected in Ecological Archives E096–202 (Edwards et al., 2015).The search for patterns was made using the author's technique of polynomial multilayered neural network (NN) building. The optimal set of neurons' connections with the preceding layer of the network was obtained by means of a genetic algorithm run for each neuron. This approach gave good results given the sparse data sets and small samples. Categorical predictor “taxonomic group” was parameterized by an integer.We found approximations for maximal uptake and growth rates, half-saturation constants, maximum and minimum nutrients quotas as nonlinear functions of cell volume, taxon number, temperature and irradiance. Mean-square errors were lower than the errors in respective relationships to the cell volume only. These functions were used to fill in the gaps in the ecological archive. Verification of the obtained relationships was performed using an energy balance model and new data on nutrient utilization traits not used for their estimation.

Adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics of Advanced Green Environmental Media (AGEM) for nutrient removal and recovery in agricultural discharge and stormwater runoff

Recycled materials were used in three types of green sorption media for nutrient removal and possible recovery in high nutrient-laden agricultural discharge and stormwater runoff. The three types of green sorption media included in this comparative study were two new aluminum-based green environmental media (AGEM) and one existing iron-filings based green environmental media (IFGEM). The corresponding adsorption isotherm, thermodynamics, and kinetics models were simulated based on isotherm studies to determine their removal efficiency and potential for recovery of nitrate, phosphate, and ammonia when used as a soil amendment in crop fields or in a filter for water treatment. AGEM-2 exhibited the shortest contact time required to achieve nutrient removal above 80% with an average of 7 h, followed by AGEM-1 and IFGEM with 10.6 and 28 h, respectively. Natural soil was included as a control and exhibited minimal nutrient removal. Ammonia, which may be recovered as fertilizer for drop fields in a soil-water-waste nexus, was generated by all three green sorption media mixes, therefore indicating their potential for use as soil amendments in agricultural and forested land after engineering filter applications. The kinetics analysis indicated that nitrate adsorption follows pseudo-first-order kinetics, while phosphate adsorption follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. The Gibbs free energy indicated that most of the adsorption reactions proceeded as exothermic. Lastly, a few equilibrium models, including the Langmuir, Freundlich, First Modified Langmuir, Temkin, Jovanovic, and Elovich models, were ranked and three were selected for use with IFGEM, AGEM-1, and AGEM-2, respectively, as below: (1) Langmuir, (2) Freundlich, and (3) First Modified Langmuir, according to three indices.

Nutritional Requirements for Sustaining Health and Performance During Exposure to Extreme Environments.

Dietary guidelines are formulated to meet minimum nutrient requirements, which prevent deficiencies and maintain health, growth, development, and function. These guidelines can be inadequate and contribute to disrupted homeostasis, lean body mass loss, and deteriorated performance in individuals who are working long, arduous hours with limited access to food in environmentally challenging locations. Environmental extremes can elicit physiological adjustments that alone alter nutrition requirements by upregulating energy expenditure, altering substrate metabolism, and accelerating body water and muscle protein loss. The mechanisms by which the environment, including high-altitude, heat, and cold exposure, alters nutrition requirements have been studied extensively. This contemporary review discusses physiological adjustments to environmental extremes, particularly when those adjustments alter dietary requirements.

Early reprecipitation of sulfate salts in coal biodesulfurization processes using acidophilic chemolithotrophic bacteria.

This study evaluated the effect of three sulfate salt-based culture media on the reprecipitation of sulfur under the action of two types of bacterial inoculum, a pure strain of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (ATCC 23270) and a consortium of this strain and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans (ATCC 15494), in a biodesulfurization process for coal (particle size < 0.25mm) from the 'La Guacamaya' mine (Puerto Libertador, Córdoba, Colombia). All of the experiments were periodically monitored, with measurements taken of pH, cell concentration, iron concentration, and pyrite oxidation. Additionally, mineralogical analyses were conducted on the initial and final coal samples, through scanning electron microscopy with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The results showed that sulfate reprecipitation occurred primarily, and nearly entirely, during the first 3 days of the process. While all the treatments obtained high levels of mineral oxidation, the reprecipitation processes decreased in media with low concentrations of sulfate, leading to the higher final removal of inorganic sulfur. The bioassays revealed that after 15days, the maximum pyrite oxidation (86%) and inorganic sulfur removal (53%) was obtained with the treatments using the Kos and McCready culture media. The bacteria evaluated were found to have a great ability to adapt to very simple culture media with minimal nutrient concentrations, and even with some nutrients absent (as in the case of magnesium).

Efficacy of Nanofertilizers on Spinach Growth Performance in Medially Polluted Soils

Purpose Food security has been a global problem with the sporadic growing population especially in the developing world, Kenya included. Many crop growth enhancers have been used such as conventional fertilizers, biofertilizers to boost food productivity. However, use excessive commercial fertilizer with the notion that some will be eroded and leached eventually causes eutrophication and alters soil pH that increases heavy metal uptake in crops threatening food safety and it has also minimal plant nutrient utilization. Nanoparticles have been used to give slower and timely release of nutrients to plants due to their versatile desirable characteristics. Methods Pot study in green house for contaminated soils were conducted with eight treatments in triplicate; DAP added, NPK added, NPK-DAP added, DAP nanofertilizer, NPK nanofertilizer, NPK-DAP nanofertilizer and non-treated control (ck) treatments, for spinach in the greenhouse study done in Nyakoe, Kisii county. Nine pots were set for each treatment with one seedling each. Nanofertilizers were applied at normal application rates during planting. Spinach plants were left grown for 30 days to 90 days until they matured as the growth performance parameters were being recorded. Results The results shows that there was a significant difference in plant growth performance in pots where nanofertilizers were used, with spinach amended with synthetic ash (nHA) increasing the growth parameters as follows; height (64.29%), dry matter weight (17.55%), leaf diameter (34.54%) and number of leaves (32.39%) while bone ash treatment increased height by (65.34%), dry matter weight (17.52%), leaf diameter (44.34%) and number of leaves (37.24%) when compared to NPK-DAP fertilizer added control. Conclusion Nanofertilizers enhances the growth performance of cropseven when grown in medially polluted sandy-loamy soils of lower fertility, especially in peri-urban farming to boost food productivity to feed ever growing population.

Importance of lisimetric research in the ecological-agrochemical evaluation of agricultural technologies

To identify regional technology models capable of reducing non-productive losses of biogenic elements and increasing the level of their utilization by cultivated plants. Agrochemical, lysimetric (stationary lysimetric unit with 48 concrete sections-lysimeters filled with sod-podzolic sandy loam soil including the parent rock and taking into account the thickness of each genetic horizon of the soil in its natural state; soil layer — 155 m, mass — 10.5 tons). Losses of labile nitrogen, calcium and magnesium compounds in the form of their oxides can vary several times depending on the type of crops. Thus, nitrogen losses in winter wheat averaged 25 kg/ha, while in corn the values were as much as 77.5 kg/ha. In organic fertilization system, calcium losses in winter wheat crops were in the range of 44 kg/ha, while in corn they account for 101 kg/ha. The introduction of cover crops into the crop rotation system reduces nutrient losses from the soil due to the utilization of mineral compounds by cover crops for constructive metabolism during their active growth and development. Following green manure mineralization during the spring-summer period nutrients become available for the following crop in rotation assuring minimal nutrient losses. Besides the reduction of nutrient losses, the use of green manure have ensured higher efficiency of pre-sowing seeds bacterization. The loss of biogenic elements increases with the application of calcium-containing materials in the norms, calculated for the full hydrolytic acidity. The most effective and resource-saving both for a single (once every 5 years) and for periodic use of soil amendments (every second year) is the use of 1/4 hydrolytic acidity dose of calcium. This reduces the leaching of calcium, nitrogen and other biogenic elements. It is recommended to use lysimetric studies as a tool to trace the migration of moisture, humic substances and compounds of biogenic elements beyond the root layer of soil, depending on the amount of rainfall and the fertilizer systems used and to determine the optimal ways to regulate these processes, which is important for the evaluation of different crop growing technologies.